Humunculi- The Quest for the Stone
by AiJay
Summary: Callisto Potter only remembers pain. Pain, and a curse. After being passed through the Doors of Truth, the demon tells her that she's failed and is over, but is it coincidence she ends up with the other remaining 'failures' of the world? Your destiny cannot be controlled by someone who claims it, unless you give it, but it can be impossible to take back...
1. Chapter 1

I don't remember much.

I know there was shouting. Lots and lots of shouting.

I think my voice was one of them. Like a fight, or something. But what was I fighting over? I catch glimpses, sometimes. A best friend with bright orange hair, and an older sister like girl, who couldn't have been related to me, with frizzy brown hair and freckles. Another boy, in red robes, kinda clumsy and disoriented.

I blinked. I was falling, too. It seemed like nothing could make me forget that moment when the bolt of light... It had to be, brightly colored... Shot me straight in the side, right through my ribcage. I couldn't keep my balance, and the breath was knocked out of me. I fell, through a curtain, with cool, wispy material, that was almost welcoming.

It had to have been welcoming me, because I'd never felt more at home than I was right now. Callisto Potter finally had a family.

Like I said, I remember falling. And the faces of the people who had been near me. But nothing else stayed in my mind when I landed on the soft, white ground. The curse that hit my side had seemed to vanish... Wait, curse? What was I talking about?

I sat up, trying to look in front of me. Everything was white, like it seemed to go on forever.

"Callisto," A raspy voice said.

"Huh?" I turned towards the sound. Apparently, my name was Callisto.

I found myself facing an outline, but I couldn't see any more than that. An outline, and a smile.

"Callisto Potter," the outline wheezed. "It seems only fitting you've failed."

"What are you talking about?" I asked. "What did I fail? What was I trying to accomplish?" I searched my memory, but there was nothing there.

"None of that matters now," the figure growled oddly. "You have been wounded, and you do not belong here. Don't assume that anything has changed, because rules don't make exceptions on any side of the Gate. However, it means you haven't changed, either. You're still a wizard. You can still shape shift, apparently. And you're still living." The voice seemed to glare at me. "You belong with the dead. You belong with their Failures."

"What are you talking about?" I asked, squinting, but my vision was starting to blur. "Who are you? Who am I?"

The outline flashed a fang-filled smile. "I am what everyone wants to face least. I am Truth. And as for you, you should look from where you came."  
>I turned behind me, where an enormous doorway loomed, from seemingly nowhere. It was large and creepy, so naturally I tried to crawl away, but it swung open.<p>

There was nothing but blackness inside.

Then there were hands. Tendrils and tentacles, reaching out to grab me. I screamed, but they took hold of my limbs and pulled me through.

The next thing I new, I was lying on the ground with a sharp pain in my side, straight through my ribcage. There was someone, something, standing above me, but none of that mattered.

"Callisto... Potter..." I said weakly. Truth didn't really tell me who I was, but I couldn't afford to forget what I had. I took a couple pained breaths, and everything faded to black.

Pain. Pain, and sad, blue eyes looking down at me. Or at least, an eye. He had an eye patch over the other one. He was focused on something in his hand. A small, glassy charm, and a silver chain that fell from his palm.

"It's pretty," I said, looking up at him.

He turned to me, slightly startled, before looking over his shoulder. "Sloth, she's awake," he said. He seemed to be in his 50's, but he was strong and healthy. I had to blink a few times to realize he was wearing some sort of uniform.

"Are you a part of the military, Sir?" I asked. My voice sounded like I had been chewing on sandpaper, and my nose was all stuffy and stinging.

He looked down at me again and smiled slightly. "Yes, I'm the fuhrer. But your wounds can't be feeling very good, so try to get some rest. I'm not the nurse here, Sloth will be with you in a moment." He quickly tied the glassy charm to my neck, his hands cold against my feverish skin.

"Is it mine?" I asked, confused.

"Yes," he said, uncertainly. "It's got your name on it. It must be your name, you said it when I found you. You should really try to relax, Sloth is going to fix you up."

"What kind of name is Sloth?" I ask, ignoring him. "Isn't it rude to call someone that?"

The eye patch dude sighed. "This is going to take a lot of explaining. Everyone here calls her Sloth, that's who she is. But be quiet for now." He left without another word, out of the room.

I sat up to get a better look at my surroundings. I was in a cozy bed, on top of the blankets to calm my fever, with the door cracked open to get the air flowing. I felt entirely stiff and numb as I tried to lift my head, but a woman entered the room with some sort of tray and immediately had me lay back down.

She had warm, violet eyes and dark brown hair. "Now, now," she chided. "Pride didn't find you in very good condition at all, it's best you get some rest."

I sigh. "I've never been in good condition. Ever since my forehead scar..." My eyes widen. Scar? Where had that come from?

The lady bent over my makeshift hospital bed. "You don't have a scar, sweetie."  
>I felt my forehead, with shaking hands. I was pretty certain I had always had one, but my skin was perfectly clear. "Oh..." I said weakly. "Maybe it healed...?" I was doubtful, but I couldn't remember anything. I don't know where that thought had come from.<p>

"Maybe," the lady agreed, grabbing something from the tray. It was a small vial, filled with a cherry red liquid. "Here, drink this; you should be better in no time."

I hesitantly took it from her, but with nothing but a pretty glass charm that read 'Callisto Potter,' I figured I didn't have much to lose. It was tart and sweet, with a potent aftertaste.

"Mommy, can I come in?" A voice asked from behind the door.

"Of course, Wrath," the lady replied, taking the vial back. "Just be careful, okay?" A little boy pushed the door open, bare feet padding on the floor. His eyes were bright violet like his mother's, and he had long, messy black hair. The boy was wearing cargo shorts and a tank top, but his right arm didn't match his left. It was a different tone, and slightly longer.

"Your arm," I asked worriedly. "Are you sun-burned or something?"

He looked down at his hands. "No, this arm doesn't belong to me. Neither does my left leg, from the knee down. So you're not one of us?"

"Wrath, don't be rude," the lady chided. "Of course she is, or at least, for the time being." The boy nodded his head, pushed his hair out of his face, and jumped to sit on the edge of my bed, his feet dangling over the side.

"Well, then," he decided. "Welcome to our family."

"I think I like your guy's family," I smile at first. "But why do you keep calling each other the sins? Isn't it offensive?"

"No," the lady said. "We are the sins. We're merely addressing each other by our proper titles."

I blinked.

"It's going to take a while to adjust," she laughed. "I can't imagine where you're possibly from, but not remembering may actually be a benefit. We're going to have a family dinner tonight, so you'll have a chance to meet everyone." I mutely nodded my head, and let the medicine soothe my lungs. Especially a sore point in my side. I remembered the pain... but why was it there to begin with?

Sloth left the room, and Wrath spun around to face me.

"Your name is Callisto?" I nodded. "Is it okay if I ask you some questions?"

I sighed, staring up at the ceiling. A little gecko scurried across through a corner. "You can try, but I don't remember anything. I don't even know if I want to know where I was from, if I've forgotten it all the way I have."

Wrath crossed his legs and hugged an extra pillow. "That's okay. I just want someone to talk to. It gets a little lonely, sometimes. You don't have to remember your past... but can you remember who you are?"

"Wrath, I don't even know what I look like," I frowned, relaxing my shoulders. He hopped off the bed and landed gracefully, his bare feet padding against the polished wood floor. Wrath returned a few seconds later with a mirror, which he held above me so I could look at it while laying down.

The first thing I did when I saw myself was burst out laughing. My hair, black and dull, which had to be at least waist long, was curled repetitively around my head, clumped on my pillow. I had more than a few drool stains, and my bright green eyes were bloodshot and frazzled.

"Well, what did you expect?" Wrath set the mirror down. "Pride found you half dead a few hours ago, but we can change that now, if you want."

With the medicine starting to kick in, I took the liberty to sit up, the pain not nearly as fresh as it had been before. "Okay, well, what's gonna be done about it?"

He grinned, missing a tooth in the front of his smile. "You're fun, Callisto. I think it's time you've met Lust."

"Lust?" I repeated, a bit dumbfound, before recalling the whole sins situation. "Okay, Lust."

Wrath padded out of the room again, his miss-matched legs somehow finding a unique rhythm. He returned, seemingly seconds later, with a tall girl in a jean miniskirt, dark crop-top, and long wavy hair. "Lust is like our beautician, if that's hard to believe," he giggled.

"She's awake," Lust smiled, walking up to my bed. "Wow, you look awful, there's got to be something we can do to help."

I shrug. "My hair is always this messy." Then I blink. "I think it is. I don't know. I can't remember." My head was starting to hurt.

"Don't stress yourself," she patted my back. "You're already up and running, there shouldn't be any more need to tire yourself out." She held my hand and helped me out of bed, while Wrath and her helped me walk around the house area-thing. I managed to limp around the hall, feeling much better than I had before, and walking on my own by the time we made it to the next room.

"Go ahead and sit down," Lust invited me in her bedroom, leading me to a beanbag cushion. "I do makeovers and stuff for my friends, all the time." Her room was like any ordinary teenager's, with the latest magazines piled on the floor, shoes and clothes everywhere, and makeup accessories lining the shelves. Wrath made himself comfortable with a lollipop he grabbed from her nightstand, and sat on the edge of the bed.

Before I knew it, I was plopped down on the cushion, while Lust managed to painlessly weave a comb through my messy excuse for a hairstyle.

"Thanks," I said, as she braided my hair over my shoulder. I felt cleaner, and more refreshed. And gone with the drool marks, after a quick two-minute makeover. "You remind me of a friend. We used to do each others' hair. Her hair was more frizzy, but..." I left off in mid-thought. "But..."

Lust frowned sadly. "If your memory was taken, it's going to hurt if you try to get it back." She shook her head and smiled. "But dinner should be nearly ready now, let's see how Sloth is doing."

Wrath finished crunching down his lollipop and spat out the stick before leading me down the stairs.

I grin as I head down with them, my original pain narrowed down to a soft, stinging bruise. Nothing but a minor annoyance. "I like hanging out with you guys," I smile. "You're like family. But I don't think I had one."

Lust grins back. "Well, you're welcome to stay with us and be a part. I'll be your older sister, and Wrath gets to be your younger brother. Sloth is like a mom to all of us, and since Pride is in charge, he's like the father. Gluttony and Greed can be the weird uncles twice removed, and Envy is the annoying neighbor."

"Yup!" Wrath flashed a toothy grin. "That's our family!"

"He's so graceful," I note out loud as he dashes into the kitchen.

Lust smiles. "He self-taught martial arts, from pure instinct and observance. Pride is good with the sword, too. I guess we've all got a thing for combat." She smiles, but something feels weird. Was it normal for places to be in war? Why would they need weapons to begin with? Ignoring myself, I step into the kitchen and watch as Sloth finishes preparing the food.

"Is there anything I can help with, Ma'am?" I ask as she mixes a stew.

"No, but thank you, sweetie," she smiles, walking around the kitchen, quickly putting things together. Despite her name, she's actually very active. "Today's been a long day for you, so go ahead and sit down," she gestures to the table.

"You can sit in Gluttony's spot," Wrath pats a seat next to him. "He's not allowed to join us for meals, anyways." I take my seat and smile back at Wrath as several more people enter the room.

First was Pride from before, but he was wearing long sleeves and casual jeans, apart from his previous military uniform. He still had the eye patch, though, and nodded to me, smiling, as he sat down.

Next was a guy with spiked hair and glasses, who had to have been Greed. He sighed and collapsed into an empty seat, not even noticing me. His leather vest and gray tee shirt were dusty and wrinkled, and his jeans torn at the knee. I was assuming I wasn't the only one who had a long day.

The next person to enter the room, however, slammed the kitchen door open and stared. "Who's that?" he asked. He must have been Envy, but he seemed to be the strangest of the seven so far. He had dark green hair, tied up with a black headband, was wearing cargo shorts and a two-toned tee, and weird sock/shoe things with no heel or toe.

I stuck my lip out. "I'm Callisto." He looked at me weirdly. "What?"

"You're different," he said automatically. "Your relationship with the doors. You're not a humunculi. Who are you?"

"Doors?" I ask. "You mean the tentacle like things in the white space?"

"So that's how Pride found you," Greed mused.

Sloth began serving the meal. "This conversation can wait, gentlemen. Let's take it easy for now."

The dinner table atmosphere quieted down a lot, but the air remained tense. I tried to ignore the fact that everyone was staring at me, and I had the instinct to reach my hand to my forehead again, just to check they weren't looking at a scar.

Why did that thought keep coming back?

"Thank you for the meal, Sloth," I bowed after I had finished. She smiled and cleared my plate, tying an apron and beginning to do the dishes as Wrath bounced around her heels.

"Can I talk to you?" Envy asked, following Greed and leading me outside.

"Like you're giving me the choice," I mumbled, going out front anyways. He sat down beneath a shady tree, patting the ground next to him. I hesitantly sat down as well, starting to get tired.

"Who are you?" he asked. "And no, just a name isn't gonna cut it."

"I don't know," I say. "I don't remember anything from before the doors. And truth's ugly, non-existent face."

"You met Truth!?" Envy exclaimed. "What all did he tell you?"

I shrug. "I bunch of nonsense about failing some goal. Which can't be true, otherwise he wouldn't tell me. Glad that's taken care of. Also something about a wizard. Animal Shifting. None of it makes any sense."

"Well, have you tried to prove his point?" Envy asked. "Are you a wizard? Can you do magic?"

"That's got to be insane," I sniff. "First of all, I'd be a witch, not a wizard. Second, what makes you think magic exists?"

Envy glared. "Don't try to tell me it doesn't. Don't try to think it doesn't. Your proof is the non-human creature in front of you. We wouldn't exist without some super-natural force outside of science."

"You're getting on my nerves," I frown.

"Why are you biased against me?!" he raised his arms in exasperation. "Is it the hair?" Before I can respond, his hair seemed to pixilate, before changing to a lighter, caramel brown color.

"Wha?!" I gasp.

He pauses for a moment, then shakes his head. "I think he looks more like this." His entire form shifted, and he turned into a 14 year old with light brown hair and hazel eyes that somewhat resembled Sloth. As if I'd ever say it out loud, but he was freaking cute like that.

After thinking for a moment, I slowly nod my head. "I think I can change my appearance, too." On total instinct, I pull my wand out of my sleeve and concentrate, before I'm suddenly looking up at Envy. Way more up, by nearly two feet. I was a cat now. An orange tabby with a couple stripes, and then a human again.

"Head rush," I complain, gripping my wand hard. "I guess magic does exist."

Envy stares, then shakes his head and pats me on the head. "Well, I guess we've figured that out. But why are you here, to begin with? Humans aren't supposed to associate with humunculi-"

I start coughing before he can finish, and soon I'm doubled over, because that one bruise in my side has grown 100x more painful than it had been moments before. I reach my hand up to cover my cough, but it comes back down with blood a few moments afterwards.

"Oh well," I say weakly, after catching my breath. "I guess magic doesn't exist, not for me, anyways." Envy stared in horror, before whipping me to my feet.

"Nope, no more magic," he's decided. "We've got to get you to your room. Get plenty of rest." Before practically tossing me inside.

I frown, but eavesdrop as Envy talks to Sloth.

"Envy!" Sloth exclaimed angrily. "Why are you like that? You know how disappointing it is for me to see him-"

"I'm not changing out of this form, mom. Just imagine he were me. How much more respectable he'd be as a son."

Sloth sighed. "Still... memories are painful. So what's the matter?"

Envy cleared his throat. "I've only seen one other person injured like that from the Doors, and that's Wrath."

"Wrath isn't a person," Sloth muttered quietly.

"You know what I mean, and who I'm talking about. He died, mom. It can't be the same thing, although it looks remarkably similar. There's got to be a way to save her."

"There's a way to save anyone, if the price is right," Sloth's voice quivered.

Envy nodded. "I guess it's a competition, now. We'll find the Philosopher's Stone."

My ears popped when he said that. The Philosopher's stone was so familiar, although I had no idea what it was.

But I had to. It was the piece of my past that had been taken away, and if it was appearing again now, I had to figure out how to get it back.


	2. Chapter 2

AN- Hi, guys! So glad you could all read. I'll take as many comments and reviews, whatever you guys think needs to be said. And please don't get mad at me for making Envy look like Alphonse. Envy just really creeps me out. Wonder what's gonna happen when envy meets Al...? Of course, if you guys have any ideas, I'd like to hear them, as well. I've mostly got this story worked out, but... I've probably bored you enough, so please enjoy reading! ^_^

"Callisto Potter." I said outloud, enclosing my fingers around the crystalline charm. It was all I seemed to have left of me, but it also seemed to spark a new beginning.

I mean, things couldn't have been too off base. I knew I was a wizard. Witch, whatever it was called. I knew I knew about the Philosopher's Stone, whatever that was, and I knew there had to be a way to find out. The problem was, I knew too much, but I didn't know anything about what I knew.

Wow, I was gonna give myself a headache after this. Maybe even cough up some more blood.

We were all sitting down to breakfast the next day, so I tried to start a bit of a conversation. "Ma'am?" I asked Sloth. It just didn't seem right, calling her by her 'proper' name. "Is there a library near this part of town?"

"Of course," she smiled, clearing away the plates. Gluttony still hadn't joined us for any of our meals, and the other 5 seemed to disperse. "Do you like books?"

"There's something I'm trying to figure out, Ma'am," I begin. "But I think Hermione would enjoy it a lot more than me. She loves books."

It took me a minute to realize I'd just said a name that I didn't reognize.

"I'm sorry-" I hastily apologized. "I mean, I think I might have known someone named Hermione... Gosh, this is all so confusing." A sharp pain burst on my forehead again, but I didn't have to look to know there wasn't a scar there.

"Don't worry, honey," she smiled as I began helping her with the dishes. "I'm sure we can arrange something. Greed will probably be able to take you."

"Thank you, Ma'am," I bow.

*at the library with Greed

"Go ahead, get whatever book you want," he glared, barely focusing on me.

"Oh...Kay, thank you, sir," I bowed before stepping inside. Greed didn't seem to care for me one way or another. His name should've been Selfish. But considering he'd been named after a sin, I was assuming I should have been glad he didn't kill me. I couldn't seem to relate to him. I wasn't sure I wanted to.

I walked up and down the shelves, just scanning things at first. What did they call magic in this world? Oh yeah, _alchemy_...

The library was organized weird, but after a few minutes of searching, I was able to narrow down the information I needed. After a few questions to the workers, I had limited it down to a single book: _Beginner's Guide to Alchemy_.

Well, that was subtle. I quickly walked over to the shelf, excited to have gotten somewhere, but a little boy was standing in my way.

He had long, blonde hair, braided down the back, and a bright red cloak on.

"Uh, excuse me, little guy," I pleaded urgently. "I need the book beside you-"

He looked up from his book, his features revealing that he might have been way older than his height indicated, he was just short. "Did you just call me little?" He asked with a dazed, yet insulted expression. His eyes practically glowed with storm.

"What? No!" I lied, not missing the ferocious look in his eyes. "I just needed the book next to you... Excuse me, please?"

"Hm? Oh, okay." He turned back to his book, completely absorbed in the content.

"Thank-you," I whispered quietly, slipping the book off the shelf. I had just barely fingered the first few pages when he shook his head and snapped his book shut, loudly.

"Alchemy," he mused. "Good stuff. Keep up your studies."

I lowered my book. "Your hand is made of metal."

He nodded, looking offended again. "Yeah, why?"

"Hm, that's cool," I said, turning back to my book. "Machines didn't work to well, where I'm from." My forehead burned again, but I didn't show my cringe.

"Huh. My best friend is a mechanic. You must be from the southern countries, then. Well, good luck," he said, walking off.

I nodded as he left, but that didn't feel right. My country wasn't south, but it was hidden. Hm.

If my past was coming back in only bits and peices at a time, I had a feeling I was really going to get impatient.

I found a couple more books and walked with Greed back to the house before sitting down to study.

Alchemy was weird. An equivalent exchange of matter, apparently. You could use it to change the chemical structure of an object.

Why did that sound so familiar?

I picked up a pebble from outside and knelt in front of it in my room. Hopefully, I'd find a way around this as I continued. If not... I guess I was stuck tasting my own blood until I figured my situation out.

I held my wand in front of the pebble and concentrated. Within a moment, it turned into a shiny black beetle that spun around a few times before crawling out of the room.

I ignored Lust's scream from the hallway as I turned back to my book. I knew I didn't change the shape of the rock, or turn it into a beetle. Magic like that was just too complicated. I had simply exchanged the beetle for my pebble, so now a pebble was sitting where the beetle had existed moments before I exchanged it.

I cleared my throat, ignoring the salty aftertaste. There was work needed to be done. My side and forhead were starting to hurt, too... Which most likely meant I was on the right track.

I was never fond of reading, but surprised when Sloth called me down to ask if I wanted lunch. Was it really that late already? I sat up... how did I get on my bed? I had been upside down, over the side, going through alchemic structures and formulas. From what I had gathered, my wand was like a transmutation circle. It had the power to connect to the earth's energy to run through and change the chemical makeup of the material it was being directed at.

Studying was boring. I didn't remember it, but I instantly recognized I was relearning old information. Now if only it would come to memory sooner...

"Of course, Ma'am, I'll be right down," I called, snapping my book shut and tucking my wand in my sleeve. I hadn't even noticed what I was wearing. Just dark jeans, over-sized sneakers, and a red jacket/pullover. I knew I wasn't the only one like this. It was like a uniform. The girl with frizzy brown hair who loved books also wore one. There were green, yellow, and blue jackets, too. I've been told I looked good in green, but I prefered the red. Definitely the red.

I secured my wand in my sleeve and joined Wrath as we headed down the stairs. "Hi, little buddy," I smiled.

He grinned and looked back up at me. "I like it when people mother me. It makes me feel like a normal child." I coul relate to that for some reason. We sat together outside, munching on our peanut-butter jelly sandwiches.

I had just finished mine when I heard a thump on the other side of the yard. Wrath quickly stuffed the remainder of his sandwich in his mouth, chewing hastily. "It's a rule," he said with a mouthfull. "No food around Gluttony."

"What?" I ask, but soon I'm facing a creature- no, a person- the size of a horse, with huge, meaty hands and a broad stomach.

I can't help myself. I scream as soon as I see him.

"Now, now," I told you you should have waited," a voice says. Envy, the new Envy with caramel colored hair and hazel eyes, appears. "Here, how's this:"

He places a hand on Gluttony's head, and a blue, lightning-like energy, alchemy, surrounds his entire body. Soon, I'm looking at a tall, red-head boy with bright blue eyes and a pained expression.

"Ow- ow, Envy, that hurts," he complains. His accent makes my forehead hurt. That's the accent I should be speaking with.

"I'm sorry," I bow quickly. "It was rude to scream."

"Nah, you get used to it," He shrugs it off, brushing dust off his clothing. He's wearing a red jacket like mine, all of a sudden. "I've heard a bit about you, Callisto," he said. "My name's Gluttony."

I shake his hand. "You have a scar there," he notes.

I quickly pull my arm back and examine the back of my hand. "I.. will not... tell lies..." I read outloud.

Gluttony shrugs again. "Wow, you must've had an awful teacher. I never liked school to begin with. The desks taste surprisingly good, though."

"Ron didn't like school either," I say automatically. "That's who you look like. Ron."

"Interesting," Envy said, taking a few mental notes.

"Wait," I say again. "You didn't _actually_ eat the desks, did you?" I take a step back.

Gluttony sighed. "Let me tell you a little something: The sin is about over-indulgence. You get addicted to a habit, and it seems nice at first. I liked eating. Nobody judged me for it." Ron liked eating, to. I think I missed half my breakfast that day as he innocently sat next to me.

"But it becomes painful, after a while," Gluttony frowned, continuing. "You can't stop, and soon, you're not consuming things, it's the habit consuming you."

I nodded silently. If these people weren't joking about not being human, why did it seem so hard to believe? They looked like regular people. They acted like regular people. They sympathized like regular people. So why did they refer themselves as monsters?

It had to do with Truth. He had made a true monstrosity out of my life, so what had he done to these people? Could what he had done been worked out of them?

My forehead started to burn, but it was a good kind of burn. Yes, painful, but somehow necessary. In fact, I was pretty certain the faint outline of a lightning-shaped scar was starting to appear.

"Envy?" I asked. "Can you tell me about the Philosopher's stone?"

His expression turned murderous. "You were eavesdropping last night, weren't you?"

"Not on purpose," I said smoothly. "I just happened to hear it. But I think I have something to do with it. If not, why did I start coughing up blood when I hear about it?" The scar on my hand tingled. _I will not tell lies_. Whoops. I butchered that one.

"What?!" Envy's eyes widened, with a cross between fear and pain. "Okay, fine. Have you heard somewhere, alchemy is all about equivalent exchange. The Philosopher's stone is an element that's supposed to be able to defy that rule, like a source of creation within itself. With it, matter can be summoned from nowhere, dead can be brought back to life, and any illness cured. Are you telling me it doesn't hurt?" he asked rhetorically, pointing to my side. All of that, with one breath. He had to win some sort of speed talking-reward.

"But you guys are immortal," I argue. At least, I think they are.

"We're not human," Envy, Gluttony, and Wrath all say together.

"But if I were human..." Wrath says dreamily. "I wouldn't have had to spend all those years, locked up..." his eyes begin to water.

"Locked up, how?" I ask.

"It's Truth's fault," he pouts. "Truth's, and Izumi's, that freaking..." he doesn't finish his sentence.

"Wrath..." I ask. "Are you afraid, of being alone?"

He actually starts crying, and nods his head. "I can leave, but I don't want to. My other mom left me, so I never leave Sloth."

Stop calling yourself a sin. Stop calling yourself a monster. Because monsters can't feel lonely. Monsters can't feel hurt. And monsters can't make other's feel that way, too. I kneel down and wrap my arms around Wrath's mis-matched features, wondering how to speak my mind.

"It's okay," I say. "I was alone for a while, too. Eleven years, I think. Of course, I was surrounded by people, but the same three people each day. They wanted nothing to do with me, so they didn't. They kept on telling me that I was no use, a hopeless child..." I shake my head and smile. "But that couldn't have been right. I'm here, am I not? I wouldn't say it's no use meeting you." I'm about to stand up, but Wrath's arms are still wrapped around me, hugging me tight.

Envy and Gluttony are staring. They look so mismatched, standing together, so I close my eyes and stick my tongue out, before breaking into a wide smile. They said they weren't human, but humans have hearts. And some hearts had just been healed.

A/N: Hi, guys! Again! Sorry this chapter is so late, and so slow... But I needed to post something soon. So it's also shortened up a bit.

I guess the hardest part is including character traits that wouldn't normally be there... The sins have to somehow tie back to Callisto's old life, so Lust is Hermione, and Gluttony is Ron. And yes, those were absolute coincidents.

Envy was also supposed to be a love interest for Callisto, which is why he's so protective of her, but I'm a junior high student, and not really experienced in that sense... so please help out! Comments, reveiws...?

Once again, thanx for reading, hope you enjoyed ^_^


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: My friends all think my writing is boring. Not enough humor, action, drama... So excuse me if my writing suddenly sounds beserk or irrational... but it'll be different XP**

"Callisto Potter." For once, it wasn't my voice that spoke my name.

I had been sitting on the park bench, flipping through my treasured alchemy book, when he had called me. I looked up to face a man around thirty years old, with dark hair and chocolate brown eyes in a blue uniform.

"Hello, sir," I said, trying to sound like I had an idea of who he was. I still didn't exactly belong in this world, but the 7 had agreed it'd be best to act like I had lived here all along. No town needed a random-appearing wizard that had a tendency to transform into a cat while coughing up blood. That sounded as about as out of a blue as a half snake creature with seven souls and an addicting desire to kill people. Such things did simply not belong.

"If your name is Callisto, than you might be who we're looking for... May I have a word?" He gestured to a quieter area at the edge of the park. The little blonde boy from before was standing with an amused grin, as if he couldn't wait to see how this would turn out. There was a tall blonde woman standing next to him as well, with a cross between a murdurous and bored expression.

"Of course," I said both cautiously and politely, checking for my wand before I continued.

"I'm Colonel Roy Mustang," he introduced himself. "Naturally, the military likes to stay on top of the things going on in this town, and you look suspiciously new here. Might I ask where you're from?"

I was tempted to just say, 'Heck no!' but that would have given me away even quicker. "Uh... From the south," I said, using the accent I heard from Ron/Gluttony. The blonde woman gave a disapproving frown, and for a moment, she had dark hair and eyes, looking exactly like a professor. Professor... McGonall.

"Okay," Roy said smoothly. "That fits... but just a little more specific, if you will? You can trust us with your information. In fact, we probably already have it, we just need to confirm it.

"Little Whinging, Number 4, Privet Drive," I blurt, sweating bullets.

"Thank you," Roy said, scrawling down my answer on his clipboard. "I can have that filed tonight."

"No, she doesn't," The blonde woman and child say together. The little boy with the braid grabbed my necklace charm and practically tore it from my neck, breaking the clasp.

"This is not something that would have come from the South," he held up the necklace to Roy, who examined it carefully.

"Hey!" I shout, barely remembering to keep my accent. "That was a gift from my mother!"

Roy quickly handed it back, but he nodded his head. "Sorry, but there's no glass material like that anywhere to be found in that region. And there are no transmutation marks on it, either. It's a lovely peice of work, but it argues against your claim."

"I didn't say my mother was from the south," I huffed angrily, stuffing it in my pocket. "She's from the east." I didn't have enough time to think quickly, just guess and hope for the best.

"That can't be right," the boy crossed his arms. "I grew up in Resembool. I traveled all around for years... and nope, no Callisto Potter anywhere."

He was really getting on my nerves, but there wasn't much I could do about it.

"Callisto," the woman spoke for the first time, her voice strong and authoritative. "Where are you _really_ from?"

I clenched my teeth. "I can't tell you."

She glared at me, hard.

"I really can't! I don't know!"

They didn't seem to catch on to my situation.

"Well, Callisto, it looks like you're going to have to come with us until you cooperate," Roy said, sounding disappointed.

"What the heck!" I shout. "No, no thank you! Why don't you guys believe me?" I held up the back of my hand to the blonde woman, not just showing her a sample of my lovely handwriting. "I don't know what I'm doing here, and I don't know how I'm going to get back without them," I continued.

The boy reached up and grabbed my hand, examining it, before facing up and meeting my eyes. I had the odd suspicion he was staring into my soul.

"You freak," I muttered under my breath.

"You're not from this side of the doors, are you?" he asked, taking on a more serious tone. He turned back to the military officials. "She could be right. If so, she's had a lot of trouble with alchemy... And a lot of trouble with Truth."

My hair stood on end, and my lungs felt like they were filling with blood.

"Do you know anything about alchemy?" the woman asked. I hesitantly pulled my wand out of my sleeve.

"A stick," the boy muttered blantantly.

"A wand," I corrected him, ignoring the urge to hit him over the head with it. "It's my transmutation circle." I thought of a spell in my head, and a small flame appeared at the tip.

"You're a flame alchemist, too?" Roy said, suddenly enthused. He pulled on a white glove with a red transmutation circle, snapped once, and held a matching flame on his finger.

"Uh... no," I said, confused. I switched spells, and the tip began sprinkling water. Roy yelped and jumped back.

**A/N: Hahaha, okay, maybe writing exciting/dramatic/humerous stories isn't exactly my forte`... I don't know where to write from this point, so if you guys have any recommendations, I'll gladly take them. Send requests! I'll choose the... uh... 4th idea that's sent, and write about that one for the rest of my story. For my original plan, Callisto was supposed to get back to her world using the Sorcerer's stone, with Nicholas' help because he crossed worlds, too...? I don't feel like I've come so far with that path. **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Sorry peoples, but I got no more reviews, so I had to wait for insparation... ...10 mins later... Yes, finally! Insparation strikes! Well, sort of. Most of my ideas are only ever half formed, because, well, that's just me. I'll start in the middle of a project and randomly wonder what the heck I'm doing there... Wait, why am I typing? I thought today was supposed to be for drawing... Jk XP. But still, there's a lot that's wrong with the plot, so please ignore it and focus on the better story aspects...**

**Callisto: What story aspects?**

**Me: -_- Thanks for the encouragement...**

**I could really use everyone's encouragement, so please review! **

"Callisto," Sloth asked from the kitchen. "Are you ready for dinner?"

"Yes!" I slammed my book shut, surprised at how much time I had managed to lose... Again. It felt so awkward, with my nose in a book, and I had to keep on asking myself why I wasn't... where I was supposed to be... Which was...

I couldn't remember, but I knew I hated having to resort to the books.

…

"How was your day, sweetie?" Sloth asked as soon as I had sat down at the table.

"Great, ma'am," I grinned. "I met quite a few new friends..." Or, I hoped they were friends... "At the park, today." I said, trying to cover up my pause. "They're really nice people, maybe you guys could meet them."

"Well, we try to stay away from... from other..." Sloth began.

"From other what, ma'am?" I asked, not unkindly, but pressing to know.

"Anyone else that's still human," Pride said, joining us at the table. I was going to intrude and say that the blonde wasn't human; he was a dwarf; but it was kind of uncalled for in the situation.

"What do you mean?" I asked anyways, taking a bite out of my stew, which seemed flavorless compared to the tension in the air.

"Do you know any humans who can change their appearance?" Envy asked. His form flickered, and suddenly he was the green-haired scowl again, before the regular child he had introduced himself as.

"Humans who wear eyepatches because they can see, not because they can't?" Pride asked.

"Humans who can do _thi_s_?_" Lust asked. She reached her hand forward, and her... Wow, creepy... her fingernails extended like claws and stabbed into the opposite wall.

"Not in the house, sweetie," Sloth frowned.

"Sorry, ma," she smiled sweetly back.

"We used to be humans," Greed said longingly, staring into the distance. "And we used to be... well, sort of dead. Probably among the demon's angels. But when we were brought back to life..."

"We just weren't human anymore," Wrath continued. "Now, we're murdurers, liars, theives... Sins."

"You guys can't be murdurers," I dropped my spoon, my adrenaline peaked. "I knew a murdurer. I _fought_ a murdurer. He claimed not to be human, too. And he wasn't. He was cold and lifeless..." I closed my eyes, and saw a flash of green light. Bright green light, and insane bloodshot eyes. Snake eyes, not human eyes. "He didn't extend out to anyone the way you guys do. The way you are to me. His soul wasn't even complete! With each person he killed, it split, into smaller, and smaller peices..." I could feel my forehead scar. Why it wouldn't show, I didn't know, but I was certain it was there.

"We have quite a few souls within us to split," Sloth said quietly.

I shook my head. "You guys may be the affect of wizardry- I mean, alchemy gone wrong. But there are pieces left of you that are human. You're here for me, you're not gone... Not like _they_ are..."

I hung my head. Pieces of my past were coming back to me, bit by painful bit. Sure, there were some good parts. A flying car that was wrecked by a cursed tree. Things that didn't quite happen every day. But nothing could hide the fact that Callisto Potter was a homeless, parentless girl, the one wizard she had close enough to call a father died, after being cursed in his hand... the same way I had been cursed in my side...

If I went home, I would have to put up with my wounds. But that was okay. Because it was better than letting each and every person on the other side of that gate die as a result of me. That was as good as saying I had killed them.

I finished my dinner early, despite my lack of appetite, and set my dishes at the sink. "Thank you, Sloth," I smiled.

"It's not like we don't want you spending time with your friends," she smiled knowingly. "It's just we can't be there with you."

"I understand, ma'am," I bowed. "And thank you, so much, for being here for me to start with."

"Human, huh?" She shrugged to herself, before turning to Wrath and helping him finish his own meal.

I walked outside, to find Gluttony sitting beneath the tree, playing with a leaf. "Hi, 'llisto," he said as I walked toward him.

I sighed. "That's what Ron used to call me. We were best friends, and I thought things nearly fell apart when he introduced me to his date..." I recalled the first time I had seen Ron and Hermione together. They actually hadn't been dating at all. It was a sticky situation in the middle of the dungeon, and the troll took forever to knock out... Good times. But they had liked each other from the very beginning.

"Do you remember what your original life was like?" I asked Gluttony, who had popped the leaf into his mouth.

"No," he said honestly. "But if I was bad enough to be brought to this life, the way I am now, than I think I'd rather not know. Or at least, the truth, for those matters. I like to make up a lot of what things might have really been like..." he sighed, and stared off into the distance. "But it's the truth that always consumes us, right? Maybe my fear was what let me become what I am now."

I wanted so desperately to say, _You're only human! _But _I_ wasn't even human. I didn't even know what human was anymore.

...

"Thanks, Greed," I smiled as he dropped me off at the park again. He didn't even raise his glasses in farewell as he drove off... But at least I was here. That was step one to everything.

I opened my book, surprised I had no problem concentrating on the words, while waiting for the man in blue.

Roy showed up a few minutes later, dressed as a regular, casual man out for a day in the park. "Hello, sir," I said again.

"Ms. Potter," he nodded. I cringed. That name was my mom's, not mine, whether she was here or not.

"Please, call me Callisto," I asked. He nodded again. Soon, the tall blonde from yesterday came, but she seemed... Not any less stressed, for sure, but relieved. Like I wasn't some fugitive liar. She had her hair down, showing off cute cuff earings, and she was wearing a long skirt and a full-necked tee shirt and jacket, despite the pleasant weather.

"I don't think we've been formerly introduced, Callisto," She shook my hand. "I'm Riza Hawkeye, but you're welcome to call me Elizabeth, even, or Riza if you'd prefer." She smiled sweetly, but this lady wasn't at all unlike Proffesor McGonall.

"Nice to meet you, Ms. Hawkeye," I shook her hand back. Normally people bowed... I remembered lots of people bowing to me... But non-wizards shook hands.

The short boy from the days before showed up as well, dressed the same as always, with a cape that matched my jacket... People in my school were sorted by the clothes they wore. Did that mean we could be similar?... And a too smug grin than was deemed appropriate by the situation.

"I'm Edward," he said simply, not even bothering to shake my hand.

"Brother, don't be rude," a voice said. I whipped around to face a seven-foot tall suit of armor, who had his arms crossed unhappily. The armor turned to me. "Hello, Callisto. My name is Alphonse. I'm sorry I couldn't have met you yesterday, Winry was helping me with my armor..." He wiggled has fingers as if to make sure they were still attatched. They looked good as knew, but it probably had to do with the alchemy, magic, of this people.

"Sorry," Edward said, not sorry at all, before holding out his hand to shake. "My name is Edward Elric, but you can call me Fullmetal, or Supreme Master of All that he Wishes-"

Alphonse backhanded the boy, probably a bit harder than he meant to, silencing him quickly.

"Hey, you think you're all that because you're so tall, now, huh!?" Edward was immediatly back up... up and fighting. Alphonse responded surprisingly quick to the situation.

"Sorry..." Roy turned me back around to face him, steering me away from the situation as Riza chastised the two for not behaving. "We got to research quickly yesterday, unfortunately not able to deal with so much other paperwork-" he coughed as Riza sent him a death glare. "And we've come up with a few conclusions that we might be able to help you with. Would you like to discuss over a cup of coffee? On me."

"Translation: On Hawkeye," Edward scoffed, only to be hit in the face again by the armor.

"Sure..." I said, tucking my book away.

...

"So," Roy said, after a bit of explaining. Which really didn't do much good. I was a wizard, not a scientist. "We might have a way to get you back home. It will be as if you'd never left."

"Sounds great," I said, still holding my hotchocolate, which had long since gone cold. "How soon will I be back?"

"It'll only take a matter of seconds when we get to the transmutation circle, which can be drawn at any desired location."

I nodded my head silently, then stood up. "Is it okay if I meet you guys after dinner?" I ask. "I've made some really good friends here... I'd at least like to tell them a good bye."

"Of course," Roy nodded. "Do they have any idea where you're from?"

"Believe it or not, they have even less of a clue than I do," I looked down at my hot chocolate.

...

Callisto-

When I opened my eyes, I had just enough time to realize where I was and dodge the curse that was seconds away from piercing my ribs. I could see the white outline, smiling smugly, and for a moment, it was my anger that fueled me through the rest of the battle. Every spell I dodged I hoped would hit him, as well with every curse I sent.

As for my memories, I couldn't believe I had forgotten them. I was the chosen one of the prophecy, and I wasn't going to let Voldemort- he had to be Truth's equivalent, right?- succeed. I was not going to fail.

They said I would cough up blood if I did magic. I was healed, now, but I could still taste the metallic liquid rising in the back of my throat.

I blinked, focusing on the battle. It really wasn't there, but unlike all my memories having fled, this one would never leave me. Magic was not meant as a weapon.

Lust-

I could feel the locket getting closer.

In fact, I think I've always been able to sense it.

The little girl had said something about having a part of us that was still human, right? That there had to be some piece of us that was still kind, still not a sin?

I could feel that piece getting closer.

I, of course, had the option to run. If part of me turned human again, I would die, right? I should have died about maybe 50 times over.

But death was where I should have been.

Truth said I needed to fight, right? But weren't we destined to lose, anyways? If I kept fighting, I would die. If I left, he would kill me.

I smiled to myself. Victory and defeat are two strings, to the same thread. They're interwoven, and inevitable. Every fight lead you to one side of the thread. It only mattered on where you wanted to go that determined whether you were a failure or a success.

I've been told, through every regeneration, that I was a failure. So why not now? In this case, defeat was my victory.

I smiled, then screamed. No one said it wouldn't hurt. I felt extreme terror and fear. I felt like I was looking at myself in a mirror, and I saw nothing but horror.

But that's okay, at least it would be over.

Pride-

Thank you, Selim.

I'm sorry, Selim.

He'd been posing as my adopted son. One couldn't help but get attatched to the kid. He had a cute smile, wide purple eyes... But he had grown up in the middle of a war. Nothing good was going to come out of this, anyways. Especially now since they knew who I was. I had already ruined the kid's life, and it had barely started.

I took a look at his frightened face, then composed my own fear with an emotion I was associated well with: Hatred.

But really, I was feeling selfish. Callisto had said the more murdurs, the more pieces your soul would depart. Most people couldn't handle living with one. I would die, soon, serving the demons forever, but Selim would be granted a passge out of this miserable war. It was what he deserved.

In fact, he'd probably come visit me in hades, screaming for justice. Was I really helping him, to begin with?

I thought of Lust, Sloth, Gluttony, Greed, Envy, Wrath... Yes. If he'd live without them, he'd be living with the angels.

Two birds with one stone, I told myself as I stood over him.

Sloth-

Callisto got her memories back. They were a part of her. If these memories, unceasingly haunting me, really did belong...

I hung my head. What kind of mother forgets- no, shuns- her own children?

Of course, I had to act like I was fighting back. Maybe even give 'the enemy' an opposing challenge. But I would laugh inside, with glee, probably with insanity, even, when they won. Because they'd have just taken care of the problem.

I didn't need to kill the Elrics. I should have died myself.

Gluttony-

I'm happy to say, my last memories weren't thinking about my appetite. Lust had just died... Tears would have come to my eyes, if I was able to cry. She was our leader... and now she was gone.

I wasn't necissarily opposed to her dying. I was just sad she had left me. She really was like an older sister, and none of us would have made it anywhere without her help...

Then there was Dante-San, who had promised everything would be okay. I had to agree everything was, just not the way _she_ had wanted it to be.

That stupid tattoo on my tongue... And everything went black.

I did catch glimpses.

That little runt with the sword.

Dante, as angry as she'd ever been.

I had to laugh to myself, though. Let the Elric kill me. Or, I should say, kill Gluttony. I had already moved on...

The glimpses I had been catching must've been what Callisto had seen of her past. She needed her memories, but these weren't mine. I was glad not to be anymore a part of it than I was.

Wrath-

Mum lied.

She had said she was never going to leave... And she was stone gone.

As bad as it was, I couldn't say I was sad. I mean, I had gone berserk when I found out... But that wasn't anyone else's business, now was it?

My arm- was gone. My left leg, from the knee down- had disappeared. So this was what it felt like with metal prosthetics, huh? No wonder the pipsqueak was so sour all the time.

Callisto had left, too, but she had been taken. What ever the result, the message was clear: I couldn't depend on anyone.

Even that... that rotten... Even Izumi had died. I didn't want to let myself turn to anybody... The grave was a few feet away, but I wasn't going to waste my time standing in front of it. I sat down hard against the end of the tree, barely noticing as the blonde auto-mail crazy girl went to pay her respects. She said something I couldn't make out, but smiled at me when I looked up.

That was wrong. That was bad. I was a sin. She wasn't supposed to smile.

But she reminded me so much of Callisto...

If I had somehow did something human enough to deserve a smile, maybe I could be human. Maybe life was worth living... But I didn't have to be a sin.

Of course, that meant I was as good as dead to Truth, and I'd probably get myself killed later on... but there are no regrets.

I thought back on all my achievements through the years. I'd never really died before. Now I had the chance. I wonder what it'd be like?...

Envy-

A dragon.

That's what I heard from the military-peoples. A dragon, or the Loch Ness monster. Neither one made sense. I was a sin, why was that so hard to distinguish? But I couldn't help enjoying my imprisonment. Because I wouldn't be one for much longer. In fact, I wouldn't be _at all_ for much longer. I sensed him before I saw him: The golden-haired, bright-eyed Fullmetal Alchemist, his expression filled with the deepest of loathing. I wondered in the back of my mind how much more intense that expression would be if he'd known I diguised myself as his brother... But I'd never get to find out, now, would I?

Greed-

We all have something we want and don't have. At this point, I'd given up wanting anything: the power, the wealth, the fame...

As far as the will to live.

But that just meant I had that much more, right?

**A/N: That concludes the challenge! Dadadada (trumpet/bugle thing)**

**I can't believe I open up so many projects I want, and this one sorta had a lame ending XP, but I'm glad it's out of the way... I'll see if I can post edits behind my other deadlines. Till then, thanks, readers, reviewers, and cast!**

**Lust: Worst role ever.**

**Me: Well, next time we'll have to stop _before_ the auditions, no won't we?**

**Lust: (deathglare)**

**Me: (hiding behind the giant 7-foot supposedly invincible suit of armor) Has anyone ever asked her to cut her nails before!?**

**Please check out some of my other author friends' work, too! DeathTheCutie is amazing, and Alyss Requim has helped me with so much ;3**


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